Clutch.



Patented June 25, I90l.

UNITED STATES PATENT. O F-lee FRED A. REED, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,327, dated June 25, 1901.

Application filed April 19, 1901.

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. REED, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, in-the county of Monroe and State of New York,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clutches; and it consists in the mechanism hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of the invention is to produce an efficient clutch adapted to operate particularly with high-speed machinery.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical central section of an embodiment of this invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections on the lines 2 2 and 3 3, respectively, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4: is an elevation of a detail of the mechanism- The machine-frame A has a bearing for a shaft B or driven part. On this shaft runs a pulley O or driving part revoluble with reference to the driven part, held on the shaft on one side by a collar 0, suitably fastened to the shaft, as by a pin 0'. The collar 0 holds the pulley 0 upon the shaft by bearing against one end of the pulley-hub. Adjacent to the other end of the pulley-hub is a flange or disk D, fitting the shaft B and capable of some rotation thereon. On the line of contact of the pulley O with the shaft B a cavity is longitudinally made, (see Fig. 3,) preferably circular in cross-section, and one half b being in the shaft B and the other half 0 being in the pulley O. In the cavity 19 there rests a clutchbar E, that is circular on one side to fit in the cavity b and is cut away on its upper side in a curve corresponding with the contour of the shaft B, so that when the clutch-bar E is in one position, as shown in Fig. 2, the bar fills the cavity b and has a surface continuous with the outer surface of the shaft B, so that the pulley O can revolve freely upon the shaft B. If, however, the bar E is tilted, as shown in Fig. 3, a portion of it passes into the cavity 0 in the pulley O, and if the pulley is driven in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3 the shaft will be driven with it. In order to permit an engagement of the bar E with the cavity in the pulley, said cavity may be cutaway, as at 0 so that the cir- Serial No. 56,634:- (NO model.)

cular curvature of the cavity 0 will merge into the curvature of the interior bore of the pulley and permit an easier engagement of the bar E with the pulley O.

The bar E has atone end a circular portion 6, adapted to rest in the collar 0, and at the other enda circular portion 6, adapted to rest in a corresponding cavity in the flange or ring D. The bar E also has an arm 6 pro vided with a pin e and said arm rests in a cavity d in the flange or ring D, and said pin 6 projects into a socket d in the same flange or ring. It will now be clear that if the flange or ring D is turned through a partial revolution with reference to the shaft B the bar E will turn in its bearings e and will tilt the middle non-circular portion of the bar into the engaging position shown in Fig. 3 with the pulley O or into the releasing position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The bearing portion 6' of the bar E does not rest in a circular slot in the ring D, but in an elongated slot d, (shown in Fig. 2,) thereby permitting and limiting the partial revolution of the ring D with reference to the shaft B.

Besides the flange or ring D is another flange or ring F, that is fastened to the shaft in any suitable manner, such as by the pin f, and a spring device is provided connecting the ring F with the ring D, so as to tend to draw them to a definite position, and yet permit them to be relatively moved from such position. This spring device, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is a coiled spring G, connected at one end to a pin g, that is fixed to the ring F, and at the other end to a pin g, that is fixed to the ring D. When the parts are in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, in which the pulley O can revolve freely upon the shaft B, the spring G is extended; but when the bar E is to be tilted into the position shown in Fig. 3 for connecting the pulley and shaft the spring G contracts quickly and causes a partial rotation of the ringD, which acts upon the pin 6 and arm e and tilts the bar E into the clutching position shown in Fig. 3. In order to produce certainty of these operations and in order to cause engagement and disengagement of the clutch mechanism, I provide a spring-catch F, attached to the frame of the machine,

r v a said flange.

obtaining exact position of the clutch parts.

Upon the frame of the machine is a dog D held by any suitable means, such as a spring d so as to pass toward the periphery of the ring D,.and upon the edge of said ring is a notch d in which said dog engages. When the dog D is in its notch d on the flange D and the catch F is engaged in its notch f on the ring F, the clutch-bar E is always in the position shown in Fig. 2, that enables the pulley to run freely upon the shaft; but if the dog D is lifted out of its notch (Z the spring G immediately pulls the ring D around with reference to the ring F, (which latter ring'is held stationary for this purpose by the catch F,) the clutch-bar is tilted, and the driving-pulley engaging the bar E and pressing itagainst the shaft B will drive said shaft.

In order to stop the driving action, the dog D is allowed to drop back against the rim of the ring D and in less than a single turn of the ring D will engage its notch (Z and stop This stoppage tilts the arm 6 of the clutch-bar E, so that said clutch-bar takes the position shown in Fig. 2 and instantly releases the pulley C from the shaft B. This action stretches the spring G, and the catch F will drop into its notch f.

It will be noticed that the catch F and the dog D are arranged to stop opposite rotations of the rings F and D.

The action of this clutch is so quick asto be substantially instantaneous. In actual practice it is adapted to connect instantaneously a pulley running at a thousand revolutions a minute with its shaft and to disconmeet the parts with equal speed.

What I claim is 1. In a clutch mechanism, a driven part, a driving part revoluble with reference to the driven part, a tilting clutch-bar carried by and resting in a longitudinal cavity in the driven part and adapted to be tilted to rest also partly in a corresponding cavity in the driving part, a ring free to revolve as to both parts and connected with the clutch-bar for tilting the same, a stop for said ring for preventing forward rotation thereof, a ring attached to the driven part and havinga spring connection with the first-mentioned ring, and a stop for the second-mentioned ring for preventing backward rotation thereof, substanand having a spring connection with the first ring and a stop for said second ring for preventing backward rotation thereof, substantially as described.

3. In a clutch mechanism, a shaft B, a pulley C revoluble on the shaft, a tilting clutchbar E having an operating-arm'e carried'by the shaft and resting in the longitudinal cavity t in the shaft and adapted to be tilted to rest also partly in a similar cavity 0 in the other part and to be tilted so as to free the bar from said pulley, a ring D free to turn as to both pulley and shaft and connected with said arm for tilting the clutch-bar, a spring-stop D for engaging said ring for preventing forward rotation thereof, a ring F attached to the shaft, a spring G connecting said'two rings, and a stop F for the ring at tached to the shaft for preventing backward rotation thereof, substantially as described.

4. In a clutch mechanism, a shaft B, a pulley O revoluble on said shaft, a tilting clutchbar E having an operating-arm e and carried by and resting in a longitudinal cavity 12 in the shaft and adapted to be tilted to rest also partly in a corresponding cavity 0 in the other part and to be tilted so as to free the bar from said pulley, a collar 0 fastened to the shaft, a ring D free to turn as to both pulley and shaft and connected with said arm for tilting the clutch-bar, a spring-stop D for engaging said ring for preventing backward rotation thereof, a ring F attached to the shaft, a spring G connecting said two rings, and a stop F for the ring attached to the shaft for preventing forward rotation thereof, and a bearing for one end of the clutch-bar in said collar 6 and a bearing for the other end of the clutch-bar in said ring D, substantially as described.

FRED A. REED.

Witnesses: 1

(J. M. PERKINS, F. BIssELL. 

